


Safeguard

by horologiiums



Series: Pine Needles and a Summer Breeze [2]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Mild Angst, Pre-Relationship, mild violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-09-28 16:35:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20429060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/horologiiums/pseuds/horologiiums
Summary: Claude's body was still warm, and for Byleth, that was enough.





	Safeguard

**Author's Note:**

> this wasn't supposed to happen but then it came to me in a daydream & I inevitably had to get it out of my system lol
> 
> this is sort of a companion fic to "Pine Needles and a Summer Breeze" but you don't technically have to read that fic to understand this one. but I mean, I still recommend it, since I give more insight into what the hecky Byleth & Claude are talking about in this fic. also I know the dorm rooms in the game have twin doors, but fuck that shit.

****It was after she had returned from her evening bath that Byleth figured she should return the yellow cloth that Claude always wore off of his shoulder.

She really hadn’t meant to fall back asleep when she decided to cuddle with the fabric earlier - she hadn’t even felt tired - but she _ had _ fallen asleep and when she re-awoke, the sun had already set. Still, she settled on taking a late night bath, desperately needing to wash out her hair and scrub her grimy skin clean. And upon returning to her room, seeing the cloth ungracefully twisted in her own bed sheets, she decided to return Claude’s possession to him sooner rather than later.

Dressed in her usual nightwear- a long, dark gown - she neatly folded the yellow material, draped it over her forearm and headed out of her room, making her way toward the stairs that led to the upper floor of the monastery’s dormitories where Claude’s sleeping quarters awaited her.

On her way, Byleth wondered if she should have washed the cloth before returning it, it only seemed most polite. But with the state that it was in when Claude had left it with her, she figured he wouldn’t mind.

It took only a few minutes for her to reach his room from her own. She knocked on the door without hesitating but immediately regretted it. It was awfully late, perhaps he had already fallen asleep. She wouldn’t have wanted to wake him.

To Byleth’s relief, she heard his voice through the door right away, calling for her to come in.

Claude was on his back, lying on his bed with a book in hand. Like Byleth, he too was already dressed in his nightwear, dark trousers and a light shirt. His outfit made him look more relaxed than he probably was but when he saw who was at his door, his expression changed to mild worry. He shut his book and set it aside, kicking his legs off his bed and sitting upright. Byleth suddenly felt small, or rather smaller, under his gaze but she stepped further into his room anyway, closing the door behind her.

“Hey.” Claude spoke first, a lilt in his voice. A simple greeting, maybe not wanting to push her too hard with a string of questions about her well-being so soon.

“Hi.” she returned casually. Byleth moved her arm that carried the cloth. “I wanted to return this.”

Claude eyed her for a moment, as though he was sizing her up, but he smiled quickly and pushed himself to his feet before Byleth had the time to process his look further. “Perfect timing, I was just starting to miss that!” he singsonged and took the cloth from Byleth’s arm when he approached.

Despite her careful folding of the fabric, Claude clumsily tossed it onto the foot of his bed where his usual attire was spread out. The action earned an inward grin from Byleth. Still the same old Claude.

“Take a seat.” he pointed his open hand to his bed where he had just been laying. Byleth thought of rejecting him, having already done what she had come by to do, but she figured she had nothing else better to attend to at that moment. She accepted his offer, sitting on the mattress as Claude pulled out his desk chair, swiveling it around so he would face her when he sat.

Silence filled the room, apparently neither of them had anything to discuss. Byleth felt a bit silly sitting there under his powerful stare and she dug around in her mind, trying to think of a conversation starter.

_ Oh. _

There _ had _ actually been something else she wanted to do. Honestly, she had wanted to wait until more members of the army were present, as a means to avoid repeating herself, but she figured Claude deserved a private confession.

“I apologize for earlier,” she started, hands forming weak fists on her knees. She was referring to when she had fainted during the army’s march back to the monastery from Gronder Field. She didn’t specify, knowing that Claude would understand what she was talking about. “I noticed I wasn’t feeling well but thought it would go away. I caused trouble for you and everyone.” She was looking at the floor in the space between Claude’s feet and her own, unsure as to why she felt nervous about making eye contact with him.

When she did manage to find the courage to peek up at Claude through her eyelashes, his face held no disappointment. “Hey, don’t worry about it.” he half shrugged, lifting an arm in the air. “There’s nothing to apologize for. I think we’re all just glad you’re okay.”

Byleth didn’t feel satisfied with that response, not that she doubted Claude’s sincerity. She had felt particularly guilty about the whole ordeal. She wondered if her fainting had wasted precious time that could have been used for strategizing their next course of action. Unfortunately, she didn’t feel she had the energy to argue with him and her gaze returned to the floor.

Silence greeted them once more.

Claude was the first one to break it. “...Some battle, huh?”

Byleth winced.

Arrows flying, swords cutting, blood splashing. Familiar faces attacking, old comrades killing each other.

“Yes… some battle.”

Silence again, but Byleth’s mind was anything but quiet. She could hear it all, see it all in her mind’s eye. The war cries of the soldiers from all sides, the blood spurting from their chests, the insufferable pounding in her ears...

The spear striking Claude’s neck with a sickening, hellish sound. His body knocked off his wyvern, falling, falling, until smashing onto the blood soaked ground with a deafening crack.

She saw it happen again.

And again.

And again.

_ Stop. _

Byleth grit her teeth, forcing herself to lift her face and take in the sight of Claude’s exposed neck. His night shirt’s collar dipped low enough that it left everything above his collar bones in plain sight. He had no wounds to speak of. His flesh was free of injury. He was there, right in front of her. Breathing. Alive.

She silently thanked Sothis once again for gifting her the power of Divine Pulse all those years ago.

Byleth moved her hands from her lap to her sides, settling on the blanket of Claude’s bed. She eyed her right hand when she started stroking the surface; it was still warm from where he had been laying prior to her visit. Further proof that his body had continued to exude heat as any living human’s should, further proof that he truly was still alive.

Byleth didn’t want to forget that warmth, didn’t want to stop feeling it. She remembered his strong grip around her body when her consciousness was fading, when she had collapsed on the return trip to Garreg Mach. It was comforting. Safe. She wanted to feel it again; she wanted to lay down on his bed and feel his protection through the body heat that he left behind. Bury her face in the bed sheets and take in his scent, remind herself that it was Claude and that she could trust the heat she so desperately wanted to be enveloped by again.

It was silly to think, when he was sitting directly across from her.

She felt his stare before she saw it. It was what brought Byleth out of her reverie, her head lifting and eyes meeting his. The moment eye contact was made, however, Claude looked away, face turning to the side ever so slightly. He wore no expression - she silently cursed him for being so good at controlling his emotions - and seemingly had no interest in speaking.

“What’s wrong?” Byleth wondered aloud, trying to squeeze an answer out of him.

His expression remained blank, eyes flickering to meet hers before looking elsewhere again. “Ah… it’s nothing.”

She knew well enough by that point that it was useless to push him. Secretive as Claude had always been, if it was important, she knew that he would tell her when he was ready.

They sat quietly for a few minutes longer. Byleth was beginning to wonder if Claude had invited her in for any particular reason. He was making it obvious that he didn’t have much to say, not that accepting his offer to come into his room had been all the wiser. She had little she wanted to discuss herself. She yawned, covering her mouth with a palm.

That earned her a chuckle from Claude. “It’s getting pretty late,” he announced, rather needlessly at that, though Byleth knew he had no way of knowing that she had feared waking him from his rest when she had come knocking on his door earlier. “You should head back, get some rest.”

There was no point in refusing his suggestion. “I suppose so.”

She stood, maybe a bit too quickly given her sleepy state. She wobbled a bit, needing a moment to regain her balance. She saw Claude move in front of her, halfway to a stand, arms lifting as if to catch her. But Byleth raised a hand, stopping him. “I’m alright, just tired.” She didn’t miss the skepticism that flashed across Claude’s face. “_ Really _,” she reiterated, giving him a small, rare smile. “I don’t feel faint anymore.”

The doubt sat on Claude’s features for a few moments longer but he thankfully returned her smile with one of his own, straightening his back. “I’ll walk with you.”

Byleth opened her mouth to refuse his offer but Claude was already at the door, pulling it open. “Don’t want you falling asleep on the staircase,” he teased over his shoulder, nodding his head in the direction they needed to go.

Byleth sighed silently but followed, Claude adding something about walking in front of her in case she really _ did _ fall asleep while going down the steps. If that were to happen, Byleth agreed that she wouldn’t mind falling into his arms again.

He led the way, as promised, and before too long they reached her room. Byleth twisted the doorknob and stepped inside, turning as she did so to face Claude.

“Thank you,” she dipped her head a touch in time with her words of gratitude.

The corners of Claude’s lips twitched upward briefly. “No problem.”

Byleth stood in her doorway, waiting for Claude to take his leave but he remained still, giving her that blank look again. Unsure as to what he was doing, or rather not doing, Byleth thought of questioning him aloud but the words were lost in her throat when he lifted a hand, carefully placing it against her left cheek.

She went rigid, not surprised that she felt her eyes widen and brows raise slightly at the contact. His hand was big, warm against the side of her head, the skin of his palm rough and calloused. His thumb moved across her cheekbone, so lightly it almost tickled.

Byleth realized that that had been the first time in a long time that she felt his bare hands. In the five years that she had been slumbering, at some point Claude had begun wearing gloves regularly. Byleth never thought much of it, perhaps it was just a personal comfort type of thing. But with his bare hand pressed against her cheek, she was starkly aware of it. All of the encouraging shoulder claps, head bonks he’d made against her forehead with a light fist were done with gloved hands. She felt… disappointed that they hadn't been bare during those times.

_ It’s warm. _ Byleth recalled the thoughts she had had in his room just a little while ago, about wanting to lay down in the groove of his bed where his body heat had been left behind. Why lay in a spot where only a part of his heat remained, when the source of it always stood by her side?

She felt herself begin to relax, ready to place a hand of her own on the back of the one cradling her face, ready to close her tired eyes and melt into his warmth…

Claude retracted his hand too soon, the cool night air kissing Byleth’s exposed flesh. She recoiled, blinked like she had been slapped and looked into Claude’s eyes. He was smiling at her, crookedly at that, unaware of what he had done.

“Sleep well, my friend.” He was standing so close to her but his words felt distant, like they had been said from over a rift. He turned on his heel and walked back the way he came.

Byleth stared after him and only continued to stare where his back had disappeared around the corner. She didn’t notice her hand, settling atop of her left breast, fingers curling, gently clawing at the fabric of her gown.

Her chest felt hot, almost burning. But unlike the unpleasant heat that assaulted her core when she had fainted, the heat that was settling in her was kind, careful. It spread, reaching from the tips of her toes, all the way to the cheek that desperately missed the feeling of Claude’s hand against it. She felt floaty, light. Happy.

Byleth swayed, suddenly very weary. It was then that she noticed her hand, gripping the cloth of her gown. She was unsure of what it was doing there on her chest but didn’t bother to question it, too tired to care. She let her arm relax and fall to her side.

_ I should sleep. _

Byleth turned into her room, closing the door behind her.

**Author's Note:**

> Byleth doesn't understand emotions but she will eventually & I love her criess thanks if you made it to the end! I hope you enjoyed yet another one of my self indulgent fluffy messes!


End file.
